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Craig blames press for his plea

Okay, I know we have devoted a great deal of space to the matter of Senator Larry Craig and his alleged search for a sexual encounter in an airport men’s room.Ã‚Â Unfortunately, this storyÃ‚Â just won’t go away.Ã‚Â So I’m just going to have to join Senator Craig and blameÃ‚Â “the press” for our continued coverage of this topic.Ã‚Â

The Associated Press reportes today the Senator Craig’s attorney will file a motion in court today to withdraw his guilty plea.

But before we get to that here is a clip from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews about Craig’s hypocrisy.

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By MATT APUZZO
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Larry Craig should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea in a sex sting because he was under extreme stress after being hounded by journalists asking questions about his sexuality, his lawyer argues.

Craig, an Idaho Republican, pleaded guilty in August to disorderly conduct following a sting operation in a men’s bathroom at the Minneapolis airport. His lawyer, William Martin, said he will file court documents Monday trying to undo that decision so Craig can fight the charge.

Martin said Monday that Craig did not “knowingly and intelligently enter a guilty plea.” The senator simply admitted conduct that “itself does not constitute a crime,” Martin said.

“He admits to going into the bathroom, he admits to moving his foot, he admits to reaching his hand down,” Martin said on NBC’s “Today” show. “That’s not a crime.”

Persuading a judge to withdraw a guilty plea is difficult but Craig will argue that he was under too much stress to knowingly plead guilty, Martin said.

“He was under tremendous pressure,” Martin said in a telephone interview.